I love verse 52, in fact it is a prayer a I pray over my kids each night before bed: May we grow in wisdom and stature and be in favor with God and with others.
Think about it...this is how Jesus grew up. We don't know much about His childhood, but we know that this is a prayer for Himself. It is a great prayer for us. What would it mean for us to grow in wisdom and stature? What would it look like if we were in favor with God and others? May we desire to grow in our faith like Jesus did. It was His custom to be in church. He spent great time with the Lord. He served and love others. He was not about Himself but about bringing the Lord Glory. Wow. Let's desire that lifestyle, shall we?
Verse 10: I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. We have good news that should be bringing great joy to the lives of everyone. But I think we the church take that news thing and make it like the evening news. If we just broadcast the message, we've done our jobs. TV broadcast is a passive media. That means we can allow the message to flow over us and never really get involved with it. But God didn't just send news...He sent Christ and now He sends us...not just to broadcast a message but to live it with a people that need it because this is what brings joy. - Blaine
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